Lt. gov. candidate Goldberg backs universal health care
NEW BEDFORD — Deborah Goldberg, a member of the family that founded Stop & Shop and a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, said yesterday she favors state support of community colleges and improvements to the health care system.
During a campaign appearance at the editorial offices of The Standard-Times, the 51-year-old former Brookline selectwoman said she sees state support of community colleges as an investment in the commonwealth's future.
"Our best asset is a skilled workforce," she said in an interview. "That's why we're behind (other states)."
She described community colleges as "the most important schools in the state," and said most of their graduates remain, work and pay taxes in Massachusetts after they graduate.
Ms. Goldberg said she favors what she called "universal quality health care," and said she has the business background and the local experience to bring insurers and "everyday people" to the same table to resolve the health care crisis in Massachusetts.
"I would work on cost containment that doesn't impact the quality of care," she said.
She served as a Brookline selectwoman for two terms from 1998 to 2004 and was the board's chairperson the last two years.
"I'm running because we need to get the state running. It isn't happening now. I have the background and the experience to get the job done," she said. "We've had tough economic times for a long time now due to neglect and lack of leadership."
She is one of four candidates for the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor. The others are Worcester Mayor Tim Murray; Andrea Silbert of Harwich, co-founder of the Center for Women & Enterprise; and Sam Kelley, a Cohasset psychiatrist.
Ms. Goldberg's candidacy is being supported locally by state Rep. Stephen R. Canessa, D-New Bedford.
Rep. Canessa is a sponsor of the state's proposed anti-gang bill, which has passed the House and Senate, and is awaiting final legislative resolution.
Ms. Goldberg said yesterday she supports the anti-gang bill as part of her "three-prong attack" on violence, which also includes increased enforcement, intervention and prevention.
"We need to get it done," she said of the bill. "We have increased violence in all our cities."
She said she doesn't support the enactment of the death penalty in Massachusetts.
"It brings us down to the level of the murderers," she said, adding she believes mistakes will be made and innocent people will be killed if the death penalty ever became law.
Massachusetts doesn't have a death penalty provision.
"It's a far greater punishment to spend the rest of your life in prison," she said.
She acknowledged the high annual costs associated with the care and custody of prisoners who are serving a life prison sentence, but added there are also "great costs" associated with the appeals of people convicted of murder.
She said she favors an affordable state-funded law school, but said she didn't know enough about the 2005 failed merger of Southern New England School of Law and UMass Dartmouth to offer an opinion.
She said the proposed merger between the two institutions presented "a good opportunity" for the state to have a law school and it would benefit Southeastern Massachusetts.
